Raksha Bandhan. Los Angeles (USA), 7 August 1990.

So, this day is extremely important in a way for Sahaja Yogis to observe and I'm happy that I am here because it's very important also for America. As I told you that, I have already talked to you how the war between Alexander and Poros was finished because of a sister's intervention. And also how Shri Krishna whose sister was Draupadi, Vishnumaya was born as Draupadi and how He came to save Her chastity by rushing all the way from Dwarika. So, you can see that when we ascend in the collective consciousness and we have collective living, collective meeting at the Vishuddhi Chakra, Shri Krishna establish this, or He manifested this pure relationship of a sister.

In a collective life that we have, in the Ashram where we live, where we move about as Sahaja Yogis, if we do not have this basic principle within us, there will be a chaos, complete chaos. Once this purity of relationship is established, that apart from my wife, all the rest are my sisters or mothers, it cannot be a proper society and the chaos of the social system of America is because they have no sense of pure relationships.

Once you call somebody a sister, she's a sister. And once you call somebody a brother, she's (FYI -Mother does say She's - we double checked) a brother. It's not only that you should be born of the same parents, it's not necessary, but this is a very important principle to have a very pure society where everybody can live peacefully. It's a common thing I have seen in the West, that a lady comes as a friend of the wife of the house. So, she's there and she is a sister of the husband, has to be. But on the contrary, next day you find that this man starts having bad eyes towards this lady, because, from very childhood, if you have not fixed your attention on your sister, with all that purity, you cannot have that pure feelings for another woman.

The starting point is your own sister. The son is born and then the daughter is born or first the daughter is born and the son is born. From that small age, when they are innocent, this is a dimension of sisterly pure relationship is developed, even when the society is so corrupt and bad. But at a very young age, say, at the age of eighteen years, because of the social relations here and the social ideas, the second part, which is a brother's duty towards the sister, is to respect the chastity of his sister and to protect it, and also it is the sister's duty to keep the brother moral, morally all right.

So once it becomes freedom after the eighteen years of time, eighteen years of age, then the sister goes with any man, lives with any man, the boy is not supposed to say anything, or if the brother goes and stays with anyone, the sister cannot say anything, she cannot interfere. On the contrary, like India anywhere or I was told also in China and Egypt, even Islamic countries, if they find their sister going with another man, they'll shoot that man, in the Islamic countries. In India they may not shoot, but they will see that the sister is put right. Same with the brother, in India I can say, in China also. If the brother is immoral, he's going the wrong way, then the sister tries her level best to bring him back to normal morality.

It's very common that if a man is doing wrong, then the wife goes to the sister and she's very anxious, and she becomes very upset about it. She goes all out to correct her brother. And this innate understanding exists within us. In every person, whether you are born in America or anywhere, that if the brother is doing the wrong thing, if he is smoking, if he is doing wrong things, more than the mother, the sister feels it, more than the mother, the sister wants that it should be corrected, and she goes all out, to fight it out. Mother may start crying, weeping, give up, but the sister will go on fighting her brother. In her, all efforts, she will see to it that the brother comes around. Also, other things like, if the brother is doing something illegal, something wrong, something which is detrimental to the society, it is the sister, who has a right, divine right, to go and correct.

In a society, where this relationship is very pure and where societies are quite settled down, the question doesn't arise, mostly, that the sisters do wrong. But supposing a sister does something wrong, supposing a sister goes out of the family, she tries to give up her family for somebody else, or she tries to dominate her husband or to do something wrong in the family, then the brother will go and tell her off, what he thinks of her, and will try to correct her.

So this right to correct between brother and sister does exist, not because it is some sort of an outward thing but innately from within ourselves. This is the Ganesha Principle which acts, on Vishuddhi Chakra where, whatever communications we have, we have a sister's relationship and a mother's relationship. Krishna also had a Foster Mother, as you know, and the relationship with Him was exactly like Her Own Son. So, if you call somebody as a mother, it has to be absolutely pure relationships. So there are three types of relationships with a woman, is one, is that of a mother, another of a sister or a daughter, and another is of a wife.

Daughter cannot correct the father. Daughter has no right to correct the father and she will not correct the father. On the contrary, even if he does wrong, she'll support him. She'll stand by him. Always. She will even go against the mother to support father. It's nature. It's natural. But the son will correct the father, if he is doing something against the mother. It's a natural thing. It's a male force supporting the female's force or the female force correcting the male force in such a manner that the society is kept clean and there is proper growth.

Only among barbaric people, according to Shastras, only the Rakshas indulge into such impure relationships all the time. Because there is no purity in the society, it crawls up into our mind and mentally we accept these things as norms. Otherwise, there is no need to look at every woman with lust and greed, at every man with some lust. This abandonment has basically started, when like Freud has said it also, when the relationship with the mother, relationship with the father, the relationship with the brother and sisters are basically spoiled in childhood, due to the atmosphere, due to so many things, whatever it is. And once it is ruined, this principle of Ganesha is ruined on your Vishuddhi Chakra. It' very, very difficult in Sahaja Yoga to keep such people going on.
Now we have had problems in Ashrams of this kind, which you know of, that they are living in the Ashram and misbehaving. There are married women also, we had experience of this, I mean it was such a horrifying thing, having relations in the most impure manner. Even the unmarried, can do like this. I had a very bad experience in Austria once, once here also. It is such a horrible experience for Me, I don't know what to do with them, because I know they are Sahaja Yogis, they are seekers, but this kind of weakness, we cannot have in collectivity. It is like one really, a bad apple, which will ruin all of them. So even a one example like that cannot be tolerated, not that, because it is so very venomnous, (FYI _The correct word is Venomous but Mother uses Venomnous) but because this kind of relationship will ruin our collectivity.

In India we had a system called "Gotra", which meant, that whatever university we studied, is that your Gotra. For example, My forefathers', forefathers', forefathers, all of them studied in one university, which was started by Shandily Muni. So they all went to his Ashram in different places and did this, what you can say, a studies and all those things together, but in one Gotra, you cannot marry. Now so many years have passed. Because we belong to Shandilya Gotra, we cannot marry anyone in that Gotra. So to that extent it is, and when to that extent it comes in our mind, we don't think the other way round and doesn't come into our minds like that.

Now we have societies like Islam, this Muslim societies also. In the Muslim society because of Pardha system, they are always suspicious and they can never trust that a woman is having a good relation with brothers or not, because they have no Gotra system at all. They are so suspicious, because there's no freedom to talk and I have seen in India, where also we can see that is quite a pure relationship idea between the Muslims, but Muslims have this problem. The women are suspicious, men are suspicious, and everything is done secretly and in a funny manner.

So another thing should be, that we should be absolutely free in an Ashram. But there should not be a particular interest in one person. If somebody gets a particular interest in one person, then it is wrong. But in general, we should be free as brothers and sisters. I mean, we should be very free. The suspicion should not come in, at that time. Suspicion can only come in when one person is interested only in one person and that is the time we have to correct. Very important. Because, it's all right, supposing somebody is a leader, you are looking after the leader, is all right. If somebody is your Rakhi Brother, is all right, you are looking after Rakhi Brother. But if you go beyond a certain limit, then you better correct yourself, it's wrong. And then if you really want to deceive yourself and say, ' No, no, no, nothing's wrong,' then know that this is not the way. You have come to Sahaja Yoga, giving up all these nonsensical things to ascend, and now this again crawling upon you.

So the relationships should be of the same type with everyone. Now what is the difference in a society which is supposed to be elite, where people flirt with each other. They'll freely freely flirt, they flirt with this person, that person that person that person, like that. Not interested in anybody, this thing. But, when they talk and when they have any communication, what is behind this? Because we have to search our own souls. We have to find out ourselves. That's very important. Soul-searching is important to see, why am I so friendly with such and such person? If you think that you are friendly with such and such person for some other purpose, like somebody might say that, ' Oh, I am all right, because I am working with her,' or something like that, but why interested?

Because soul-searching is very important in these countries specially, because here there is no norms about how you behave with other women. So we have to be absolutely free as I said with each other in the sense like that brothers and sisters are. And whatever are the limitations of a woman must be observed, like you see, say, if My brother is sitting with Me, I cannot watch a romantic picture. Cannot. If My daughters are there, My husband will not sit there to watch a romantic picture. It's very subtle. With the brother you won't discuss something, normally, say about sex or about things like that, because it is such a private thing that you can only have this with your husband. So, if he is a brother and you find him that he is trying to attract the person in a way that you should not, then you have to place yourself, against yourself, and see for your sake, why you are doing it? It's such a frivolous, nonsense thing, it's a joyless pursuit! So why should I do it? Once you understand the importance that Sahaja Yoga, you can only achieve your ascent through purity. There's no other way round. Anything which is hanging on to you, will keep you down. And whatever you go, start dropping it out, whether it is ego, superego, anything. But the highest of all is the purity of your mind as far as the sex is concerned. I will give it the highest part. That's what we call as innocence. That's the only thing that will take you ahead. And so we all should try to search our souls.

Now there are men and women who doubt each other, all the time, and go on doubting each other. But it is another joyless pursuit. We have to watch ourselves and not others. By doubting others we ruin our lives and the lives of others. But, is the duty of the wife and the husband to correct each other, if they find anything wrong in that relationship. Now this discrimination has to be there. Mostly I have seen that if they are crazy people, they'll go on doubting everyone. It's a kind of a possession. If they are doubting their wife they'll go on after her life. If they are doubting about the husband, they'll go on after. This again spoils your collectivity. Such people cannot be collective and cannot be Sahaj. And I would say such people should be thrown out of Sahaja Yoga. Or else they should be separated. Because, this is a very subtle type of an aggression can take place or a subtle type of a torture can take place and a very bad type of relationships can develop, between the Sahaja Yogis.

I have seen one case in Australia, which was very, very serious for Me. There was an Indian girl and she got after her husband about these things and so many people she hurt and so many people left Sahaja Yoga and nobody could discover why they are leaving. Because, she used to do, very subtly. And it came out of her inferiority complex, or whatever it is and when she came to India, her husband left her and when I talked to her, the person whom she was suspecting is one of the gem of a persons I know. I was shocked, how she could think like that. Now I discovered that her mother was like that also.

So one has to know that the purity of mind has to be there, has to be very clean and open. But in that openness, you should see the freshness of mind. If you are not fresh, in your mind, and you do then think, then know, that is not correct. Today I am touching these subjects because we have had problems like this in America. And also America is a place which is seething with this nonsense. And I don't know when are they going to stop it. There is no end to it. But for you people to establish proper, proper collectivity, it is extremely important to understand, that you should do soul- searching about it. You have to understand through your vibrations, through your own understanding. Because I cannot say, "You are wrong, you are wrong." You have to find out, if there is something wrong within you to establish this pure relationship. If you people really strive to do that, and really pray, I tell you half of the problems of this country will be solved. Solved forever. You see, people are suffering from this disease, that disease. I mean, I ask them, " Why do you do that?" He said, 'Because women are not dependable; You go home, there is a play with another man. It's better to stay with a man than to stay with a woman.' I mean, absurd, unnatural, nonsensical thing they do. Same with the women.

Now if fidelity is between husband and wife in the real sense of the word, again we come to reality, real sense of the word, then the man and women should become free like birds. They know. So, it is the childhood relationship between brother and a sister. I would say, with everybody else in the childhood whatever relations you have. You see the child goes to an uncle, to another uncle, to her, everybody is an uncle, to another aunt, it is that. So he develops all his dimensions of purity, in childhood. But if you keep the child all the time, ' No, no, this is my child, can't go to this person, can't go to that person,' then the child develops those corners. Then, when the child is exposed, later on, gradually, you don't have to give any ideas; he would not do immoral things automatically. You don't have to teach them about sex, you don't have to do anything. Because, after all in India, we don't tell children anything. We never talk to them about anything. Just grow. I mean, you leave them alone anywhere, no question. I mean, I know, now say I have My two daughters, now they have their husbands, they might fight with each other sometimes, whatever it is. But left to themselves, I cannot think it is possible that any other man can attract their attention, on a wrong way. They'll be free with anyone, talk to everyone, they cannot! But I have never told a word about sex or anything. I mean I feel shy even to say this word to them. How is it they have got this innately built in within themselves, because the society, the Indian society is such that brothers', sisters' relations are beautiful.

In Greece, which is a very ancient country also, but now they are becoming modernized. So we have, our Stamatis is there, is an interesting person, as you know, Stamatis is very interesting person, he's a lawyer and he is in Athens. So he told Me a joke. He said, 'Mother, when we became young,' I mean he is already young, but according to Me, he became young much earlier, ' so when we became young, we all boys decided, let's have some good time with the girls to be modern. But immediately they all started, 'But not my sister, ah, spare my sister, spare my sister. Don't touch my sister.' So I said, " Which, which is the girl who has no brother? All girls have brother." I said, "No, you see, this won't work out. In Greece it won't work out. I told her." You see exactly, see, they are suggested that no brother likes his sister to be exploited by any man.

And this is the principle. How you please your brother by remaining chaste and how you please your sister by remaining chaste. So there's a mutual controlling power, which is innate, again I'll say: "It is innate, it is not forced by society, innate." But in a society, which is so artificial, where all the time the ideas are put into your heads, there's brainwashing going on. You just start thinking there is something wrong, this is not proper, this is being something absurd. But even among animals I have seen, this works for quite sometime. So what about human beings? So all these qualities, that we have within us, which are innate, are beautiful. The societies which are spoiled, ruined, or we see these decadent societies, that's what you can call them, are the societies which have got a very good system built in, of brainwashing.

Even about say one hundred years back in this country, the society was not like this. Even fifty years back it was not like this. If you see the films and things you will know, that the innate value system was the same, but now people are so much brainwashed, that all their innate qualities have been destroyed, and there are all artificial qualities are there. Now Sahaja Yoga is the innate religion within us, and one of the innate religion, or we can say one of the innate religious quality, is that we understand the purity and the beauty of brothers' and sisters' relations.

Like, say for example, A is a sister of B. Now, B has a friend. Now, this friend comes to the house and A starts getting friendly with B, take it like that. In American way, I don't know how far they go or whatever way. That troubles the brother. He doesn't like it. That troubles the sister also, because she, she doesn't know how she stands, she becomes nervous. She's not sure as to how to go far with it. So the all the relations become confused and they don't know how to how to deal with each other, how to express themselves, how to behave in a manner, that the relationship between these three is again normal. And most of the society, societies, which are so abandon, if you go and really examine these people you'll be surprised that they're extremely nervous people. They say that if you have to make out an American among thousands, is very easy. His nose will be twitching, his eyes will be going like this, his hands will be going like that, of course not Sahaja Yogis, and it's very easy to make it out. The reason is: he's all the time on tentacles. He doesn't know what his sister is doing, what his mother is doing, what his wife is doing or the other way round also for a woman. That's why the maximum number of breast cancers are in America. With all this advancement, if you see the statistics, the maximum number of patients are here.

So apart from ego and superego, the worst thing that has happened to these modern societies is that, that they have lost their innate understanding of purity. That innate understanding in Sahaja Yoga now you have got it. So try to develop it and flower it, so the fragrance of that innocence will make each other very happy and such a kind of a security. One feels so secure. And that's why it is a Raksha Bandhan, that the protection of a brother and a protection of a sister. All the time you know, my brother is there, after all, my sister is there. A kind of a very pure, beautiful feeling, that I have somebody to protect me. And this beautiful feeling, if it's nurtured, looked after, in a wider way in Sahaja Yoga, then you feel absolutely, absolutely secure.

Like one lady went to Sicily, she is a Sahaja Yogini and there's another one from another corner went down to Sicily. They were sitting apart from each other in a restaurant. And she just looked at her and she looked at her and they just felt they were both Realized Souls. So she just came on by, she said, ' By the way, have you heard about Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi?' She said, 'Are you a Sahaja Yogini?" She said, ' I am.'
'I'm also Sahaja Yogini.'
They hugged each other, kissed each other. See normally, if it is done with a woman, here they will call her something else. But, they described, 'Mother, we started crying. We both we are feeling lonely there, and we started crying.' Such beautiful relation. But if any such I mean I was surprised that ah.. maybe some people came to India and said, ' Oh my God, here all the girls are holding each other's hands!' I said, " Why? What, whose hands they should hold then?" First I couldn't understand and they were surprised. How are they holding each other's hand? So, I mean, at everybody is a target. Everybody is looked into as if he is a dirty fellow. Whether it's a man or a woman, whether it is a relationship between man and man or woman and woman. I mean it's filth. It's dirt. So we have to get out of it. And to get out of it we must understand that, relationship are only enjoyed if they are pure.

And also, say in a sap of the tree is rising. Now the sap has to give something to the leaves. Instead of giving that to the leaves, it starts giving that green chlorophyll, say to the flower. The flower will become green and the, I don't know if the leaves will also survive this kind of misplacements. So, whatever relationship you have to give to anyone, has to be pure and meticulous about it, that what relationship you have to give.

For example, I am your Guru. So, the relationship between you and Me is precise. So, supposing you say, ' What does it matter, I can go and sit in Mother's lap?' You cannot. You cannot do it. Though I mean, it's a pure relationship, still you cannot, or, ' I might put my feet towards my Mother.' I cannot, because these all relations must be understood in its pure forms. Even in electricity you see now, supposing this is a fan running here, and you got a plug, now supposing you put that plug in your nose, will it run? It looks absurd, but that is what it is. All these modern ideas are like this, that you are putting the plug into the nose. And the handkerchief, instead of the nose, it goes into that plug. It is so absurd and it is so useless. And it shows how idiotic people have become.

So, we should know what is the relationship we have with this, with each other, what is the relationship we have in the collective, how do we behave. Of course, in the collective way, always, the girls will pull the legs of boys and boys will pull the legs of the girls, is all right, and can go on among themselves also, is all right. But as long as there is purity, nobody will mind. They' ll all enjoy. But as soon as it becomes perverted, then the problems start and, in Sahaja Yoga, these useless problems has taken away so much of My energy that I am now fed up with it. Really fed up!

Somebody writes to Me from there, ' Mother, I have suddenly fallen in love with somebody.' Now recently, there was a boy, he was married, from England, married to a girl, a girl from India. And there was a lady, who was married, maybe I don't know quite what should I call her, she's not a lady anymore, married to French man. She went to France, lived with him and came back. Now, he's an English boy. They, before marriage, they were just friends and all right, and after they got married, both of them started living together. And I can't understand. Before marriage, it never entered into their head. After marriage, why this has entered into their head?

'Mother, we don't know what to do now.' You see, that, that French boy is fed up, he said, ' I have nothing to do with this but for this Indian girl, what to do, what am I to tell her?' Because for her, he's her husband. Because Indians are not like this, to put the plug- in- the- nose- type, you see. So she cannot understand. And, she does not know what to say and I don't know what to tell her. How to solve his problem? It is such a funny problem now. This French boy found her out in no time, is just given up. But now, such a headache, such a ...This boy came to see Me, this English boy, discussing with Me till 2:30 in the night and then directly I said, " Now if you don't get away now, I'll beat you," so he ran away. He came inside, directly inside. " Now, it's 2:30, will you please get out from there?" And what he was telling Me, ' I know, I know. This is wrong. I know this is wrong. I know I am putting the plug into my nose. '
"All right then?"
'But, I have been struggling with myself for six months. I don't know what to do with myself.'
I said, "But are you possessed?"
He said, ' No, but I know.'

They think, in these Western societies, that once they say, ' I know, I am doing wrong, I know, I am doing,' then finished! You have confessed to God, you have confessed to everyone. 'I know this is wrong, but I am doing it.' But till 2:30 was just saying this to Me. I said, " But what is the solution?"
'I know there is no solution, I know, and whatever I did, I understand, I know.'
"What do you understand? Now, give Me the solution."
'I don't know.'
So I told him that, "Really I am so fed up with you that I have decided I'll have no more marriages, because you have no sense of marriage. Till you got married, you were all right. You were nice to her. You wrote one letter to her and suddenly now, how have you fallen together?"
He said, ' It was spontaneous, got spontaneous. This girl came to place where I was working for something and I met her. Finished. That's all.' He knew this girl before, they were together, everything was there, nothing happened. Suddenly, what has happened?

Now, what I gather that Western society is built up against marriages, against families. To be married, according to them, is a sin. And once you are married, to get out of the sin you must do something like that. Because they live together, for days together, and once they marry, immediately they think of divorce. Because marriage is now so much connected with property, money, this, that, nonsense. That the whole thing has become so gross, and after marriage, there's no question of love, because how much money goes, how much part of the house goes, how many things are mine, how many? The whole thing has become so materialistic, such marriages can never be successful.
But in Sahaja Yoga we marry for our ascent. And we have to respect our marriages and to respect our chastities with our brothers and sisters. Those people who try, to somehow or other ruin the purity of collectivity, I assure you, will be in very great trouble, henceforth. I think every sort of divine punishment comes after every period. And now, I've started feeling with My experience that any such absurd manifestation of impurity, I need not say anything about it. There is a divine punishment and of a very horrible nature. Now I've got three to four] experiences and I think it has already started. It's nice, there is today is a day when I can talk to you about it. I can't help it. I think periodically some new ideas of punishments have been started by this divine power. And for people who behave like this, I have seen there are terrible things. So, please do your soul- searching. Find out if there are any impure feelings, try to throw them away. And know that you are not possessed by such funny ideas.

If you start developing a deeper understanding, then you will not be attracted by superficial things. And you won't be distracted from your path. There was one girl in India, was very dark, say, I couldn't call her in anyway beautiful. She's tall but she's very, very dark. There's somebody who was all right for her age, so, I asked him, I said, "She's not suitable for you. But, you can have a look at her." He saw her and he said, 'Mother, I want to marry her. I feel so tranquil in her company. Such beautiful vibrations!'

So once you develop your deeper side, then you do not see all the superficial thing, but you see the vibrations of the person and once you start seeing the vibrations, you'll be surprised that if these relationships are not all right, your vibrations will stop. You won't feel the vibrations. You must know, that Chaitanya is a living energy which thinks, which knows, which understands, everything!

So if you are getting wrong ideas about somebody and if you try to see vibrations, you'll get heat, automatically. It's a computer which thinks, the information that is filled into this computer, it refills itself. Such a computer. As soon as you start feeling the vibrations of such a person, immediately you feel that there are no vibrations or there's heat. But supposing you are unnecessarily suspicious and unnecessarily you are trying to trouble yourself, then also, same thing will happen.

You have got, of course Realization, you have got great qualities. You are not even aware as to what you've got so easily. You've got the knowledge also so easily and didn't have to go to college or anything and you are capable of so many things, but remember, that the power that is within you is cleverer than you and anything you try to do, which is not correct, which is not righteous, which is not holy, it will try to correct you. So, try to be a deeper person. Try to understand what is behind this person, what is the spiritual quality of this person and then only you will know that pure relationships are so fragrant and so beautiful.

I really enjoy you people because you have such pure relationships among yourselves and such understanding.

May God bless you.

Today, so much Puja has been done, but for this thing there is never a Puja as such. Today we'll do the Puja, so what we have to do is just a Ganesha Puja on My feet. That's the only thing we can do because it's the quality of Ganesha. The quality of Ganesha, which is expressed, and the protection of Shri Ganesha. It is He who does this. Even if your Brother may not be there, He'll look after you. Because He's the First One born to Me and He's your Brother. He's the Eldest Brother you have. So this is His purity, His innocence, which is giving you the protection. So what Puja you can do today is just a Ganesha Puja, it's sufficient because He stands for purity. I wish I could show you a photograph that I have of Shri Ganesha Himself.

Actually He's behind Me, actually He's there as He is, because you see it was a, it was a Shiv Puja, Shivratri and they had done all kinds of Himalayas and all that behind Me and this is the only photograph, He really appeared, so sweetly. See His eyes, when they said Niranjan. He is just so innocent and He has pulled out His trunk also little bit, so that I should not be in anyway hurt by any possibility. [Unclear word] I didn't see Him. But it's on (Mother corrects Herself) only in this photograph He is there.

H.H. Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi